Healthcare hopes to save 450 million euros annually by ending financing for 417 pharmacies that it considers "small or obsolete."
Still, the main difference in the list that was published yesterday in the Official State Bulletin stems from the fact that a doctor will have the last word in ending subsidized medicines for patients. Exceptions will be made for people with chronic or seriously ill people who need help from pharmacies on the list.
The Ministry of Health should keep taking this line of action and discern when it's vital to use and prescribe a medicine, and to make those decisions professionals need to be consulted. Reducing pharmaceutical bills must happen, but the process needs to be effective and the quality of service needs to remain high.
